pay to win
Money buys victory
Pay to win describes games where spending real money provides competitive advantages over non-paying players.
The term is pejorative, implying that skill matters less than wallet size: That mobile game is totally pay to win—you can't compete without buying upgrades.
Often abbreviated P2W.
The concept extends beyond gaming to any system where money buys unfair advantage.
Small payments within software
- loot boxesPaid random virtual rewards
- gachaRandomized prize mechanic
- in-app purchasesTransactions within downloaded software
- freemiumHybrid monetization approach
paywall · premium currency · whale · subscription · battle pass · real money · spending · purchasable
Favorable position or circumstance
- power creepGradual competitive obsolescence
- imbalanceLack of proportion
- unfairUnjust or partial
- overpoweredExcessively dominant or conquered
boosters · buffs · shortcuts · progression · grind · meta · ranking · leaderboard
Paid random virtual rewards
- gachaRandomized prize mechanic
- DLCSupplemental game content
- cosmeticsSkin-applied beauty substances
- skinsOuter animal coverings
whale · grind · currency · upgrades · unlockables · mobile gaming · free-to-play · energy system
microtransactions
Small payments within software
- loot boxesPaid random virtual rewards
- gachaRandomized prize mechanic
- in-app purchasesTransactions within downloaded software
freemium · paywall · premium currency · whale · subscription · battle pass · real money · spending · purchasable · premium
advantage
Favorable position or circumstance
- power creepGradual competitive obsolescence
- imbalanceLack of proportion
- unfairUnjust or partial
overpowered · boosters · buffs · shortcuts · progression · grind · meta · ranking · leaderboard · matchmaking
loot boxes
Paid random virtual rewards
skins · whale · grind · currency · upgrades · unlockables · mobile gaming · free-to-play · energy system · cooldown
- gamingvideo games, buff, games, PlayStation 4, gameplay
- gaming lingoNPC, HP, GG, AFK, PvP
- gamer slangnoob, pwned, lag, nerf, buff
- gaming problemsbugs, glitches, lag, crashes, cheaters
- dark patternsdark patterns, bait and switch, hidden fees, roach motel, misdirection
- video gamesvideo games, gameplay, Fortnite, mobile game, arcade
pay to winskill-based
Dependent on acquired abilities
merit-based · play to win · practice makes perfect · level playing field · git gud
pay to winlevel playing field
Equal competitive conditions
equal footing · fair competition · meritocracy · competitive balance
pay, win, pays, paid, paying, payable, payment, payments, payee